This April, the Traverse presents the world premiere of GUSH by Jess Brodie. We caught up with Jess to hear a bit about her process of writing the play and what she's looking forward to in seeing it brought to life on stage.
1. For those unfamiliar, introduce yourself!
Hello! I’m Jess Brodie. I’m a playwright originally from Edinburgh, currently based in Glasgow.
2. What compels you as a writer?
Ultimately I want to create things that touch the core of what it is to be human, even if it’s just for the briefest moment. That sounds grandiose but I think it’s an ability we all have, really. I love complicated and detailed stories that pick apart the small moments, as well as the big ones.
3. What made you write GUSH and what are the key elements it explores?
To begin with, GUSH was really a play about sexuality. Ally is pregnant, at a turning point in her life before she becomes a mother - a whole new identity for herself - and yet, she doesn’t feel like she’s had the chance to properly explore her sexual identity. There are a lot of queer themes in my work and I’m really passionate about bringing nuanced queer narratives to the stage.
So initially, the play was about the ways in which we try to prove and legitimise labels. But it quickly became about so much more; about how the expectations placed on us define and entrap us, about the tension between compromise and sacrifice. About what it means to own our desires as women (sexual and otherwise) in a world that rewards us for putting others first. And it’s about the quest for self-actualisation, pondering whether this is achievable or not.
4. What was your starting point for writing the play and what sort of references and research did you draw upon?
I wrote the piece in response to an open call-out from Playwrights’ Studio Scotland - they were looking for submissions for their Off the Page initiative, where you get to hear your work read aloud by actors. I really wanted to submit, but I didn’t have anything to put forward - this idea had sat on the back burner for a while so I just decided to bash the play out in hyper-quick time to see if I could. I don’t know whether it was the pressure of the deadline or a forced lack of inhibition, but it came really easily to me, and to my delight was selected. The encouragement I received from that initiative really motivated me to keep going with it.
5. What was your experience like developing GUSH as part of the Traverse’s First Looks project last year?
I loved every second of it. I so enjoy collaborating with creatives in the room, and working with an actor just gave me a whole different perspective on the play. Being able to hear your words read aloud is so crucial. And Gareth Nicholls (who directed) gave some great insights too, particularly with rewrites that I’d been struggling with.
6. How have you found working with the Traverse to bring GUSH to life, ready for its world premiere?
The whole team at the Traverse has been so fantastically supportive. This is my professional playwriting debut, and so a lot of the process is very new to me and I’ve needed a bit of hand-holding. Becky Hope-Palmer, our brilliant director, has also been so reassuring and supportive during the process. She’s allowed me to ask every stupid question and made me feel comfortable every step of the way. I’m so excited to see her vision come to life.
7. What are you looking forward to most about seeing GUSH on stage at The Traverse?
Quite honestly, I’m just really looking forward to hearing Jess Hardwick speak my words for an audience. Jess is such a captivating and talented actor, and she brings Ally to life in such an authentic and nuanced way. I’m actually excited about just getting to listen to her tell me a story.
8. How do you want audiences to feel having watched the show?
I feel like this is a question that many playwrights are encouraged to ask themselves, but it’s not one I find too helpful. If I try to get into the audience’s head I become very self-conscious. I think different people will feel different things depending on their own personal experience. Whether they’ve had kids, whether they want kids, whether they’re still trying to figure it all out. I want every audience member to experience the play the way they experience it, through their own unique lens.
9. What theatre or cultural experience do you think has most influenced your artistry?
Even though I tend to write more straight plays, I’m very inspired by high comedy. I was obsessed with French & Saunders as a child and adored the silly, light, irreverent energy of SM:TV Live. My love of comedy was a gateway into improvising stories with my sister and later, in a drama group. This is still the way I create today, but just on the page.
I was also obsessed with puppets as a child. I had quite a few of them and it was a bit creepy. My mum took me to see National Theatre of Scotland’s The Wolves in the Walls and I remember thinking ‘I want to make things like this’. On a recent visit to NTS I spied one of the wolf’s heads at reception - I was quite starstruck. I haven’t used puppets in my work yet, but you never know… could there be a muppet version of GUSH in the future? Gareth?
10. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given as a writer?
Write as if nobody is ever going to read it.
